Mining-machine.



H. B. DIERDORFF. MINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30. 1909.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

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HENRY B. DIEBDORFF, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE JEFFREY LIANUFACF TUBING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

MINING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Application filed July 30, 1909. Serial No. 510,493.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, I'IENRY B. Dmnnoarr, a citizen of the United States. res ding at Columbus. n the county of Franklin and State of Oh o, have invented ce tain new and useful Improvements in Mining-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in mining machines and has to do especially with that class of machines used for undercutting the coal so that it can be blasted or broken down in shape to be loaded upon cars and removed frcm the mine. It is desirable that a machine of this character should cut a kerf as thin as possible in order that the waste of coal may be reduced to a minimum, and in practice machines of the kind in'question do out a relatively thin kerf. For this reason it is found in the working of coal under certain conditions that the blasting is not effective to break up the body of the coal and expose it so that it can be conveniently attacked for loading.

On the contrary, it frequently happens under such conditions as are referred to that the blast merely cracks the body of the coal somewhat and forces it down en masse. T0 obviate this difficulty, what is known as snubbing has been more or lesscommonly practisedhitherto. I That is to say, after the coal has been undercut by the formation of a substantially horizontal, straight, parallel sided kerf, the miners by means of a pick or other suitable tool cut away or bevel oi the coal at the corner formed by the intersection of the coal face and the upper side of the horizontal kerf. In this way the thickness of the kerf is increased at the face of the coal and backward into the coal for a part of the depth of the kerf. Consequently the coal when blasted, or at least the forward part of the mass, has a greater drop, and as.

is a plan View of a m ning machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation '8 is a sect on through the coal parallel with the face thereof, illustrating one method of undercutting the coal with my machine.

Vvhile my invention is not restricted to any particular type of machine it is especially adapted for use in connection .with undercutting machines of the breast type and it will be noted that I have shown it embodiedin this kind of machine.

Referring tothe construction of the ma chine,1 designates the bed frame as'an entirety, the same being provided with the.

front longitudinal angle bars or supporting elements ,2. 2, which are flared at their lower ends as indicated in Fi g. 1. T he frame comprises the upper longitudinal bars, 3, 3, the

upright bars or plates 4, 4, by which the,

upperbars 33 and lower longitud nal bars or supportmg elements 22 are rigidly connected, the rear transverse rod 5 and the front transverse bar 6 which rigidly connect the upper bars 3, 3, and the transverse bar or frame 7. The frame 7 which is preferably in the form of a casting, comprises the lower horizontal part 7 the vertical end parts 7*, 7", and the upper inturned horizontal parts 7, 7. 'The lower bars 2, 2, of the frame are rigidly secured to the lower part of this frame 7 and the bars 3, 3, are similarly secured to the upper parts 7 of said frame.

Upon the bed frame is mounted a carriage which may be of any preferred construction and which I need not, therefore, describe in detail. Sufficeit to'say that in the machine shown the carriage comprises the rear motor and gearing platform 8, and a forwardly extending cutter frame 9 on which is operadrives the cutter chain and causes the, car-- riage to move forward or backward on the bed frame.

On the frame or casting 7 is mounted a U-shaped bar 18, the middle horizontal part 13 of which rests upon the ground and constitutes a supplemental supporting element or a skid for the front part of the bed frame. The upturned ends 13 13 of the bar 13 slidably engage the upright part 7 of the frame 7, and are suitably mainta ned in position by clips 14, 15, which are bolted to the frame 7 Each of the upright parts 13 is formed with twoseries of ratchet teeth 16, 17, respectively.

' On each of the upright parts 7* of frame 7 is'pivoted a lever socket 18 which carr es a pawl 19 disposed in position to engage the teeth 16 of the bar 13, A spring 20 interposed between the socket l8 and the free end of the pawl 19 tends to hold the latter in engagement with the teeth 16. The socket 18 isdesigned t0 receivea handle'or lever bar 21, by means of which thesocket may be oscillated to raise and lower the pawl 19.

' 22 is a gravity detent pivotally' mounted on the part 7" of frame? inpositionto'en gage the teeth 17 of bar 13 and co'iipe'rate with the actuating pawl 19. i

This construction being provided in duplicate at either side of the bed frame of the machine, it is clear that the pawls 19 may be actuated 'so as to force the bar 13 downward step by step relative to the bed frame, thus raising the latteroff the ground to a desired height whereit is held by the action of the pawls 19 and detents 22 in engagement with thete'etli 1 6,and 17.

The machine is provided with suitable jacks 28 and 24 at the front and' rear ends respectively of the bed frame.

In the use of a machine of the character shown and described, assuming that it has been brought into the room and disposed adjacent one of the ribs,'the operators pro ceed first to lift the front end of the bed frame by means of the actuating pawls.

When the front end of the frame has been raised to a suitable height, and, this'will depend upon the thickness of the kerf which the machine cuts, the operators proceed to secure the frame rigidly in position by means of the jacks.

made. After which the carriage is'again' retracted and w front part.

The motor is started. and a partial cut, indicated by a in Figs.-

And then vention is used in connection with mining machines of other types other methods of use can be followed according to the character o f-the machine and the nature of the work.

Referring to Fig. 7, it will readily be seen that the kerf which is thus secured is of the normal thickness in its rear part but of approximately double thickness at its It will be obvious to one familiar with the art that the method of using my improved machine can be varied to a considerable extent. In some cases it may be desirable to out a continuous kerf across the room of the form shown in Fig. 7, in order to secure a sufficient drop for the coal to insure its being suitably broken up and separated by the blasting. Inmany cases, however, it is found sufii cient to make the shallow upper cut a. only at intervals across the face of the coal, as indicated in Fig. 8 of the drawing Inany case, it is clear that the desired form of kerf is produced in a simple and efficient manner by'a machine embodying my improvements. 'I'prefer to cut the shallow upper kerf as abovedescribed. But it will be understood the lower kerf might be cut first.

\Vhat I claim is: I

1. In a mining machine, the combination of a bed frame, a carriage comprising eutter mechanism mounted to move forward and backward on said frame, m ean's for lifting'thefront end of the frame compris ing a skid arranged transversely beneath the frame, and means mounted on the frame adjacent the skid adapted to operatively engage the latter, and jacks for'securingthe frame in adjusted position, substantially as and for thepurpcse setfforth.

2. In amining machine, the combination of abed frame, a carr'iage een prisingfcutter mechanism mounted to move forward and backward on said frame, and meansfor lifting the front end of the frame comprising a skidhaving a transverse part disposed beneath thebed frame and up-standi'ng end parts-adjacent the sides of the bed frame and slidably secured thereto, and means on the bed, frame adapted to engage theupstanding ends of the skid to elevate the frame, substantially asand for the purpose set forth. 1

In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature, in presence of two w'itnesses. HENRY B. DIERDORFF. 'Witnesses: r C. \V. M L R,

H, B Amixan'nnn.

. Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

" Washington, D. C. 

